Antique Meiji Lacquer Box - Taka-maki-e - "Kiji" Bird Lid - Rounded Shape 4"x 5"

Description

This lovely antique box, with its rounded corners and fitted cover, is a beautiful example of the artistry and skill of Japanese lacquer work. It showcases exquisite maki-e gold techniques that have been passed down over centuries. Lacquer work of this quality is a complicated and highly refined process, and because of the drying time between procedures, it can take several weeks to complete one object.
The lid is decorated with Japan's national bird, the Green Pheasant  (the "kiji" in Japanese) which symbolizes longevity, good fortune, and beauty. It's also associated with the changing of the seasons.
The extremely fine lines in the rendering of the bird would have been drawn with a brush made of the fine underarm hair of rats.  The wooden box was carved very thin and is lightweight. Numerous coats of lacquer increased its strength while maintaining the delicacy and lightness that's characteristic of Kyoto lacquerware.
Most interesting to me is the textured relief in the rocks at the bottom of this decoration. This technique is called taka-maki-e and it requires several steps with several days of drying time in between applications.
Other techniques used are:
Chinkin -- an engraving technique that uses special tools to make a bas-relief in urushi lacquer. The bas-relief is then filled with gold leaf and polished.
Nashiji -- sprinkles of gold particles on the paint which are then protected with a transparent urushi. After drying time the gold particles are polished until they shine.
I think this box is from Japan's Meiji Period (1868-1912) and it's in very good condition, but does have hairline cracks in each of the corners of the box, as shown in my photos, along with a few little scratches and dents on the bottom (also shown).
Lid measures 4" x 5"
Box measures 3 5/8" x 4 7/8" (exterior) and 3 1/4" x 4 3/8" (interior)
Weighs 4 oz.